For South Sudan, everything is monumental—first Olympics, first victory, and now a chance to prove their near-upset of the US two weeks ago was no accident.
South Sudan’s coach Royal Ivey likens his current experience to living in a movie.
He’s onto something: an underdog team from a nation recovering from civil war and preparing for its first free election stuns the basketball world by qualifying for the Olympics, nearly defeats the world’s top team, and wins its opening game at the Paris Games.
This story sounds like a movie script, and the US Olympic men’s basketball team is aware of the narrative but isn’t interested in contributing to a Hollywood ending.
“Everybody is going to give us their best shot,” Ivey said. “We’re not a secret anymore.”
So true. The US and South Sudan face off in a group-play game at the Paris Olympics on Wednesday, two weeks after the African nation—one of the world’s newest countries, having gained independence just 13 years ago—almost shocked the Americans in a London exhibition game, narrowly losing 101-100 after leading for most of the match.
“Secretly, I am rooting for him just a little bit,” US forward Kevin Durant said about Ivey, who was his teammate along with US assistant coach Tyronn Lue during his NBA career. “Except for when he plays us.”
Both teams won their first group-stage games at these Olympics; South Sudan defeated Puerto Rico, while the US overcame Serbia. The winner on Wednesday could secure a quarterfinal spot, depending on other results. At the very least, they will be close to advancing to the knockout stage.
For the US, this is routine—they have participated in 19 Olympics and medaled every time. For South Sudan, everything is significant—first Olympics, first win, and now the world watching to see if their near-upset of the Americans two weeks ago was a fluke.
“Obviously, we’re very confident,” South Sudan’s Nuni Omot said. “We’re going to continue to play our game, continue to defend. Anything is possible. It’s basketball at the end of the day. We all work hard. We all do the same thing. Just to be able to go up against a team like that, it’s a big test.”
The journey to Paris is a story in itself.
Two-time NBA All-Star Luol Deng, who runs the South Sudan basketball program and orchestrated this achievement, uses his personal wealth—his NBA contracts totaled about $175 million—to cover team expenses. The team lacks a training site in South Sudan because there are no NBA-caliber gyms there. The players fly coach, squeeze into exit rows, and endure long delays, like a seven-hour one in Rwanda. Despite these challenges, they performed well enough at the World Cup last summer to clinch an Olympic spot and nearly beat the Americans en route to France.
“For us, the fact that we’re already here is a massive accomplishment,” forward Kuany Kuany said. “So, we just want to enjoy it, make the most of it, have fun, and show everybody what South Sudan’s about.”
That is, the good side.
South Sudan gained independence from Sudan in 2011 after a long conflict. A civil war broke out two years later, and before it ended in 2018, it left nearly 400,000 people dead and over 4 million displaced. There are still clashes in South Sudan, the economy is sometimes fragile, and human rights groups warn of food insecurity for millions. The long-awaited election was supposed to be held in February 2023; it is now slated for December.
“It’s an incredible accomplishment, given the strife in that region for so long, so many refugees coming to the United States and other countries for the last few decades, rebuilding lives, and to build a basketball federation amidst the war and the difficulty,” said US coach Steve Kerr. “And then for Royal and his staff to put together a really good team that plays modern basketball—stretch the floor, shoot 3s, attack the rim, it’s pretty dramatic and remarkable.”
It has also caught the Americans’ attention.
There will be no overlooking South Sudan on Wednesday, not after their previous encounter when the US needed a layup from LeBron James with 8 seconds left to avoid what would have been one of the biggest upsets in international basketball history.
South Sudan’s standout player this summer has been Carlik Jones, who has some NBA experience—12 games. He recorded a triple-double against the Americans in London. If this were a movie, he would be the plot twist. However, the US team is cautious, and US guard Stephen Curry says it’s a reminder that the Americans approach every opponent with “appropriate fear.”
“We’re beatable if we don’t play our game,” Curry said. “But if we do, we have a lot of confidence we can beat everybody.”
The US team’s confidence is expected.
However, South Sudan feels exactly the same way.
“This is so surreal,” Ivey said. “I couldn’t experience anything better than this.”
